Motor dropper



E. J. WORKMAN MOTOR DROPPER Oct. 25, 1955 Filed Aug. 20. 1952 E VERLY J. WORK/MAN INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent MOTOR DROPPER Everly J. Workman, Socorro, N. Mex., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application August 20, 1952, Serial No. 305,461

6 Claims. (Cl. 10249) This invention relates generally to an improved motor dropper for a spinning or rotating type of rocket missile, and more particularly to an arrangement for efiecting the separation of the motor section from the rocket projectile proper after the propellant has been consumed.

A rocket projectile consists generally of two parts, a war head and a rocket motor. After launching, the impulse from the rocket motor propels the entire assembly until its charge is completely burned, after which the rocket projectile continues flying because of its momentum. Due to the fact that the rocket motor may interfere with proper operation of the projectile due to after-burning which leaves ionizing gases and flame, and because of mechanical disturbances to the flying system, which prevent the fuze mechanism from functioning properly, it has been found desirable to release the motor casing from the war head after the propellant has been consumed.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide an arrangement for effecting the separation of the motor casing from the projectile proper in a simple and reliable manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement for elfecting separation of the rocket motor and projectile proper for that type of aerial missile which is designed to spin or rotate.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for separating the rocket motor from the projectile proper which is economical to manufacture, reliable and eflicient in operation, and which is easy to install in an aerial missile.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the release arrangement or mechanism as installed in a rocket projectile; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the arrangement, as indicated by the line 22 in Fig. 1.

In accordance with the invention, during the driving portion of the flight of an aerial missile of the rotating or spinning rocket type, a segmented ring, which would otherwise be forced radially outward against the resistance of a spring by the centrifugal force of the spin of the missile, is held in position by friction produced by the gas pressure of the rocket motor discharge. This gas pressure is applied axially of the missile to produce the desired friction between the front and rear surfaces of the segmented ring and the complemental abutting surfaces of the rocket motor section and the projectile proper.

When the rocket motor ceases to function, that is, when all the propellant is consumed, and the gas pressure thereof decreases, the friction caused by the pressure also decreases, and is exceeded by the centrifugal force, causing the segments of the ring to be thrown 2,721,517 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 radially outward. The rocket motor section is then released from the projectile proper, and the remaining pressure, acting against the rear end of the projectile forcibly separates the rocket motor section and the projectile.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings, there is partially shown an aerial missile 10 of the rotating or spinning rocket type composed of a projectile section 12 carrying an explosive or warhead (not shown), and a rocket motor section 14 in which a propellant is consumed for generating gases which escape through an exit nozzle in motor section 14 and thus propel the entire missile along its trajectory or course of flight.

A fitting 16 is screwed by threads 17 to the threaded rear end 18 of projectile section 12. 'Fitting 16 is conical in shape and is designed to mate with a sleeve 20 screwed by threads 21 into the threaded forward end 22 of a rocket motor section 14.

A segmented ring 24, generally of four segments 26, 28, 30 and 32, but not necessarily limited thereto, fits in an annular groove 34 in the projectile fitting 16 and bears against a rearwardly presented internal shoulder 36 on the sleeve 20. The ring 24 is normally held in the position shown by a ring-shaped spring 38 which fits into an annular groove 40 in the rear face 42 of the ring 24.

The inner faces 44 of the segments 26, 28, 30 and 32 have a radius of curvature (r) slightly larger than that of the annular groove 34, and length slightly less than one nth (where n is the number of segments in ring 24; which, in the present instance, is four) of a circle of radius (r). This results in contact between the bottom 35 of the groove 34 and a segment, such as 26, 28, 30 or 32 only at its mid point 37 and between the spring 38 and the segments mentioned previously at their ends 41 and 43, and tends to reduce the chance of one part sticking to another.

A tapered ring 46 fits in the annular aperture 48 between the projectile fitting 16 and the sleeve 20, and bears against the exposed rear surface 50 of the segmented ring 24, where it is held in place by a thin metal cup 52 which is fitted over the rear end of the sleeve 20 and covers the tapered ring 46 and the end of the projectile fitting 16.

In the driving portion of the flight of the aerial missile 10, the segmented ring 24, which would otherwise be forced radially outward against the resistance of the spring 38 by the centrifugal force of the spin of the missile, is held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by friction produced by the pressure of the gases discharging from the rocket. This pressure acts against the cup 52 and through the latter it is applied axially to the tapered ring 46 to produce the desired friction between the front and rear surfaces 49 and 50 of the segmented ring 24 and the abutting surfaces of the tapered ring 46 and the shoulder 36. When the rocket motor 14 ceases to function, and its .gas pressure drops, the friction caused by the pressuredecreases and is exceeded by the centrifugal force, causing the segments 26, 28, 30 and 32 of the ring 24 to be thrown radially outward clear of the groove 34, unlocking the fitting 16 from the sleeve 20. The remaining pressure, acting against the rear end of the projectile fitting 16, forcibly separates the rocket motor 14 and projectile 18.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a pair of separable bodies, a source of pressure in one of said bodies, a releasable coupling for said bodies comprising means including a first sleeve projecting from one of said bodies and having a circumferential groove, means including a second sleeve on the other of said bodies so shaped as to mate with said first sleeve, said second sleeve having a shoulder on its inner surface, means including a segmented locking ring entering said groove and engaging with said shoulder, means for normally holding said locking ring in the locking position, and means between said projecting means and said mating means and bearing against said locking ring under the influence of pressure supplied by said source of pressure.

2. In combination with a pair of separable bodies, a source of pressure in one of said bodies, a releasable coupling for said bodies comprising a projecting substantially frusto-conical part on one of said bodies and having a circumferential groove, a sleeve on the other of said bodies so shaped as to mate with said conically shaped projecting part, a segmented locking ring entering said circumferential groove and engaging with a shoulder on the inner surface of said sleeve, a retaining spring normally holding said locking ring in the locking position, and a tapered pressure ring entering an annular space between said projecting part and said sleeve and bearing against said segmented locking ring under influence of pressure supplied by said source of pressure.

3. In a spinning, rocket-propelled projectile having a projectile section and a motor section, a releasable coupling for said sections including a projecting piece having the shape of a truncated cone, said projecting piece being attached to the rear end of said projectile section, a sleeve set into one end of said motor section, said sleeve being shouldered to mate with the larger end of said conical piece and form an annular space between said sleeve and the smaller end of said conical piece, an annular groove on said conical piece, the forward face of which is parallel with and slightly forward of the shoulder on said sleeve, a segmented ring fitting in said annular groove, said ring being held in place by a spring in a groove on one of the exposed faces thereof, a tapered ring entering the annular space between said conical piece and said sleeve, and a thin metal cap covering the rearward ends of said sleeve, said tapered ring and said conical piece, whereby the gas pressure produced by combustion of the rocket propellant, acting against said thin metal cap, forces the conical piece and said tapered ring forward to apply pressure axially on said segmented ring; wherein the friction produced by this axial pressure, together with the action of said spring, prevents radial movement of said segmented ring due to centrifugal force produced by the spin of said projectile; whereby when said propellant is used up the gas pressure drops, the axial pressure on said segmented ring decreases, the centrifugal force overcomes the resistance of the pressure-produced friction, and said segments are thrown radially outward unlocking said two sections; and wherein simultaneously the remaining pressure ruptures the thin metal cap and forcibly separates said motor and said projectile sections.

4. In combination with an aerial missile of the rotating, rocket-propelled type having a projectile body section and a rocket motor section, a source of pressure in one of said sections, a releasable coupling between said sections comprising means projecting from one of said sections and having a circumferential groove, means including a sleeve on the other of said sections so shaped as to mate with said projecting means and having a shoulder, means including a segmental locking ring slidably engaging in said circumferential groove and with said shoulder on said mating means for locking said sections together, means including a retaining spring for normally holding said locking ring in a locking position, and means bearing against said locking ring under the influence of pressure supplied by said source of pressure; wherein the friction produced by the pressure means, together with the action of said spring, prevents radial movement of said segmented ring due to centrifugal force produced by the spin of said missile; whereby when said source of pressure in one of said sections is used up, the pressure on said segmented ring decreases and the centrifugal force due to the spin of said missile overcomes the resistance of the pressure-produced friction and the segments of said ring are thrown radially outwardly unlocking said two sections.

5. In combination with a pair of separable bodies, a source of pressure in one of said bodies, a releasable coupling for said bodies comprising means projecting from one of said bodies and having a groove, means on the other of said bodies so shaped as to mate with said projecting means and having a shoulder on its inner surtlzce, a segmented locking ring entering said groove and engaging with said shoulder, means for normally holding said locking ring in the locking position, and means between said projecting means and said mating means and bearing against said locking ring under the influence of pressure supplied by said source of pressure.

6. In combination with a pair of separable bodies, a source of pressure in one of said bodies, a releasable coupling for said bodies comprising means projecting from one of said bodies and having a groove, means on tle other of said bodies so shaped as to mate with said projecting means and having a shoulder on its inner surface, locking means entering said groove and engaging with said shoulder, means for normally holding said locking means in the locking position, and means between said projecting means and said mating means including a tapered pressure ring which enters an annular space between both of said projecting and mating means and which bears against said locking means under the influence of pressure supplied by said source of pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 562,535 Hurst June 23, 1896 1,515,194 Elia Nov. 11, 1924 1,670,078 Pratt May 15, 1928 2,435,444 Johnsen Feb. 3, 1948 2,478,019 Sonntag Aug. 2, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,287 Great Britain of 1910 

